Kelly Marie Tran will be back in Star Wars: Episode IX

It's official.



Rose will be back. It was pretty much assumed, but it is confirmed that Kelly Marie Tran will indeed be back in the next installment of the Star Wars saga. Lucasfilm officially unveiled the new and returning cast for Episode IX, which will include Tran reprising her role as fearless Resistance tech Rose Tico.

Take that, haters. From the official announcement:

Rally for Rose Tico at San Diego Comic-Con

By Keith Chow. Cross-Posted from The Nerds of Color



It goes without saying that we are huge fans of Rose Tico and Kelly Marie Tran here at The Nerds of Color. Unfortunately, there’s a significant portion of Star Wars fandom that doesn't agree. Even worse, they’ve taken their disdain for a fictional character and used it to harass the actress so much that she had to delete her Instagram.

Online harassment in the Star Wars community -- and fandom, writ large -- is nothing new. Recently, Phantom Menace actor Ahmed Best revealed he contemplated suicide as a result of the fan backlash to his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks. Just the other day, a cadre of angry fanboys cried foul and singled out StarWars.com personality Andi Gutierrez over a mug she owns. But as Rose Tico famously said at the end of The Last Jedi:

Kelly Marie Tran takes a bite out of this Star Wars deleted scene

Leaked 'Last Jedi' deleted scene leaves Rose Tico with a bad taste in her mouth.



If you were dying to see more of Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, here you go. In this deleted scene from the upcoming DVD release, leaked from what appears to be a Korean subtitled version, we see Rose and Finn on their knees, captured by the First Order. What we didn't see in the theatrical cut: Rose taking a big ol' bite out of General Hux's gloved finger when he gets a little too close.

GIVEAWAY: Win Star Wars Rose Tico Action Figures

One lucky reader will win a pair of Hasbro 3.75-inch Last Jedi action figures.



UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

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A month after the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and I'm still pretty crazy about Kelly Marie Tran as Resistance tech hero Rose Tico. And I'm not afraid to admit that I've amassed a fairly substantial collection of Rose-related action figures, books and other merchandise. Yeah, I'm fanatical like that.

But in my unchecked fanaticism, I've picked up a couple of duplicate action figures. So here's a giveaway for you, the good readers of this website. I'm giving a pair of action figures: one 3.75" Resistance Tech Rose Force Link Figure and one 3.75" Rose (First Order Disguise) Force Link Figure/BB-8/BB-9E Pack.

Each figure, produced by Hasbro, is detailed with movie-inspired design and includes character-inspired accessories. They can be paired with Hasbro's Force Link gear (sold separately) to activate authentic figure phrases, lights and sounds. Recommended for kids ages 4 and up, and you know, grown-ass adults too.

One lucky reader will receive both figures. Here's how to enter for your chance to win:

What is the secret of Kelly Marie Tran's space jewelry?

Kelly Marie Tran drops hints about her 'Last Jedi' character.



As you know, we are hyped as hell for Kelly Marie Tran's role as Rose Tico in the upcoming new Star Wars movie. So we're pouncing on every little Rose-related morsel of story details, marketing and merchandising in the run up to The Last Jedi's release next month. The latest visual clue: space jewelry.

New Star Wars: The Last Jedi image reveals Rose’s mystery necklace

Entertainment Weekly's Holiday Movie Preview has dropped some more information about Rose, including the above image of Tran and John Boyega's Finn piloting a craft to the interstellar casino city of Canto Bight.

We already know that Rose is no-nonsense maintenance tech who usually works in the background of the Resistance, but finds herself caught up in a dangerous adventure with Finn. Tran offers some more details about her character, her background and what she brings to their mission in a galaxy far, far away.

"The journey that she and Finn go seems pretty impossible, you can tell in this moment that she's very much aware of the dangers that they are about to face, but she's also logically in her mind problem-solving on the way," Tran says. She knows exactly, probably, how many things can go wrong in a situation."

Kelly Marie Tran Rides the Space Horse

New 'Star Wars' promo art reveals closer look at 'Last Jedi' creatures.


Photo: Imgur
As you know, we are enormously excited to see Kelly Marie Tran in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

We don't know much, but we know her character, a Resistance maintenance worker named Rose, has the biggest new role in a galaxy far, far away. We know that she'll be paired up with Finn, their mission will take them to a casino city called Canto Bight, and at some point, they'll go undercover as First Order officers.

Also: they will ride space horses.

Some new Last Jedi promotional art gives us a closer look at creatures called fathiers -- aka "space horses." According to Star Wars News Net, they are extremely fast creatures that are exploited for racing and gambling on Canto Bight. And as depicted (in extremely small detail) on this theatrical standee, it appears that Rose and Finn will saddle up and make a run for it on the back of one of these majestic space steeds.

Funko Pop! Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Rose in Disguise

A Funko Specialty Series exclusive


It's not secret that we're waaaaay hyped to see Kelly Marie Tran as Rose in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and thus gobbling up all Rose-related merchandise. The latest: Funko just announced that one of its upcoming Specialty Series exclusives will be a Pop! Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rose in Disguise.

You can get a life-size cardboard Rose from 'Star Wars'

If that's your thing.



Hey, superfans. I just thought everyone would want to know that right now on Amazon, you can order a life-sized cardboard standup of Kelly Marie Tran as Rose from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If that's your thing.

Rose Tico is described as "a gearhead, a greasemonkey, a behind-the-scenes jack-of-all-trades" in the Resistance who gets pulled into an adventure with Finn. Based on all the information and marketing that's been released so far, she's apparently Episode VIII's biggest new character -- and worthy of a cardboard cutout.

Rose is the "nobody" who inspires Finn in 'The Last Jedi'

More details on Kelly Marie Tran's character in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'



As you know, we're pretty darn excited about newcomer Kelly Marie Tran as Rose in the upcoming new Star Wars movie, and have been gobbling up every scant little detail about the character in the lead up to Episode VIII. The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly has rolled out a multi-part cover story on The Last Jedi, and gives us some more info on Rose and her role in a galaxy far, far away.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Rose Tico is "a gearhead, a greasemonkey, a behind-the-scenes jack-of-all-trades," while her sister Paige, a Resistance gunner who fights on the front lines, is the dynamic one.

When we pick up with the saga in Episode VIII, Finn (John Boyega) wants out of the fight, but reluctantly finds himself celebrated as a "big deal" by many in the Resistance -- including Rose, the low-profile nobody who is "starstruck" by the former Stormtrooper who helped destroy Starkiller base.

This heroic ideal she sees in him helps him stay in the fight.

Every Shot of Kelly Marie Tran in The New 'Star Wars' Footage

New featurette goes behind the scenes of 'The Last Jedi.'



Over the weekend at the D23 Expo, Disney's massive official fan convention, Star Wars fans were treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, the much-anticipated next installment of the multi-generational space fantasy saga. The rabid internet masses have pounced on the new footage like a piece of meat, poring over each frame in search of hints about what's in store for our heroes in a galaxy far, far away.

Of course, for those keeping score, we're all about Rose Tico, the new Resistance character played by our pal, the lovely and talented newcomer Kelly Marie Tran. She didn't make it into the Last Jedi teaser trailer that was released a couple of months back, but she's all up in this new footage from the set and it has got us hyped.

Check it out: